The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." Here's a quick look at the top candidates as of the end of week 5 (and chosen by me) for the Calder Trophy in no particular order. Top Candidates @Scumbag JRich (LW) Overall: 7-2-0 22P 10G 12A +6 Vs Playoff Teams: 3-1-0 9P 3G 6A +1 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 4-1-0 13P 7G 6A +5 The 9th overall pick in the S31 Draft was on a torrid pace in the AHL with 26 points in 8 games with the Colorado Eagles before finding a regular role with the Avalanche. He's got a knack for offense and has continued adding his name to the scoresheet with 22 points in 9 games with the Avalanche. He's on pace to end the season with 51 points which would likely keep him in the Calder discussion at the end of the season. @Anthvass14 (C/RW) Overall: 11-4-0 40P 21G 19A +9 Vs Playoff Teams: 5-3-0 16P 10G 6A +4 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 6-1-0 24P 11G 13A +5 A member of the infamous Jets line that started off the season with 7 straight wins. He wasn't drafted until the 50th pick by the Jets in the S31 LGHL Entry Draft, but now leads all rookies in scoring with 40 points. The line as a whole seemed to cool off a bit, but @Anthvass14 switched to RW recently, and they captured two wins last week where he contributed 8 points. Are they heating up again? If so, he might just run away with the points-lead among rookies. @l Dangs l (RW) Overall: 12-1-2 32P 11G 21A +12 Vs Playoff Teams: 6-1-2 14P 7G 7A +2 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 6-0-0 18P 4G 14A +10 One of the rookies who spent a couple seasons in the AHL. The Kings were able to get @l Dangs l for just 500k in bidding. He has the most wins among rookies so far with a stellar 12-1-2 record. He's playing on a line with two veterans in @Shockz and @SoY LoS 19 and seems to be fitting right in with the line being the top 3 scorers for the Kings. Also, this for your viewing pleasure: https://clips.twitch.tv/DarlingDiligentSpiderPRChase @Moesof17john (RW) Overall: 10-4-1 26P 14G 12A +13 Vs Playoff Teams: 5-3-1 16P 7G 9A +6 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 10P 7G 3A +7 He was rumored to be one of the top 3 defenseman in the S31 draft until he signed up as a center for the upcoming season. This didn't bother the Hawks as they selected him with the 3rd overall pick. Maybe the season hasn't been picture-perfect so far for the Hawks as they're currently outside of the playoff picture. Despite that, @Moesof17john has done pretty well. He's been mostly with defensive-minded @D4D USA and either @Sejje or @SJUSoccer9 . He is second in wins, second in goals, and third in points on the Hawks so far. @Wesley Snip3zzz (RW) Overall: 11-4-1 25P 12G 13A +2 Vs Playoff Teams: 4-1-1 10P 4G 6A +5 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 7-3-0 15P 8G 7A -3 Another player who spent a few seasons in the AHL before making the jump. @Wesley Snip3zzz has had some experience scoring potting 30 goals last season and racking up 20 wins for the Rockford Icehogs. In addition to that, he managed to win all 4 of his ECU games for the Chicago Blackhawks going 4-0 with 10 points in S30. That must have sparked some interest because he was won in bidding for 1.25 million by the Arizona Coyotes. Playing almost exclusively with @Gilbzey and a S30 Calder candidate in @Project EBZ he's managed to use some of that winning experience this season. He's on pace for 19 wins and 20 goals on a more defensive-minded line; it's fair to say he's earned his way into the conversation for the best rookies so far in S31. @TyLaC (LD) Overall: 10-5-0 8P 2G 6A +14 Vs Playoff Teams: 6-3-0 5P 0G 5A +7 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 4-2-0 3P 2G 1A +7 I've heard a few funny stories about @TyLaC , and whether they're true or not, everyone has thought he's one of the best defenders in his draft class after being taken 4th overall by the Hawks. He started the season off with a 10-2 record, even though the Hawks had been underperforming a bit. He's been best when paired with @Duganator III who's reliable defensively which gives @TyLaC a bit more breathing room to try and make plays and confidence when the other teams coming down at them. I'd guess that the second half will be better than the first half, and that we'll be talking about @TyLaC when the season ends. His +14 is the best of any rookie defenseman. @TheRandemGamer (RD) Overall: 10-2-1 6P 1G 5A +12 Vs Playoff Teams: 5-0-0 4P 1G 3A +10 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 5-2-1 2P 0G 2A +2 He spent last season in the AHL with the Rockford Icehogs where he showed a propensity to keep the puck out of his net. He played in plenty of close games going 16-5-8 that season which hopefully prepared him a bit for the grind that is NHL 19. (Also, WTF, how did he have 59 more takeaways than giveaways?) The Senators then won just a 500k bid on @TheRandemGamer , and he's been pretty good all season. He currently leads the league in Own End Efficiency and has allowed just 16 goals in his 13 games. Also, his +12 is 2nd among rookie defenseman. It might surprise a few people that Ottawa is currently in the playoffs. I'd say this is in large part due to their top line having yet to lose a game in regulation. However, @TheRandemGamer has been consistent when he's been playing with other forward lines as well and has been a key component to their success so far. @l GET BUSY l (LD/RD) Overall: 10-3-1 6P 0G 6A +12 Vs Playoff Teams: 6-2-1 2P 0G 2A +5 Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 4-1-0 4P 0G 4A +7 The 12th overall draft pick chosen by the New York Islanders in S30; he didn't see much time in the NHL last season going just 2-4-2 in mostly lopsided games in regards to lineups. His AHL time last season showed he was reliable with and without the puck. His 120 takeaways were 3rd among all defenseman, and he had a 17-6-5 record on a team that clinched their playoff spot on the last night of the season. He was traded to the Coyotes days before the season started and has transitioned seamlessly into his role. He has 10 wins including 6 against current playoff teams. He's also 3rd in OEE, 2nd in plus-minus, and 2nd in goals against among rookie defenseman. @Charyzen (G) Overall: 20-8-1 84.6% 1.86 GAA Vs Playoff Teams: 9-5-0 79.6 sv% 2.31 GAA Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 11-3-1 88.7 sv% 1.44 GAA He played last season as a forward in the CHL, and, having achieved the appropriate player status, signed up for NHL bidding as a goalie. Definitely didn't garner a bunch of attention as his friends picked him up for just 500k. He's tied for the most wins among goalies in the entire league. His numbers dip a bit too much against playoff teams, but one bad game can really mess with that. I'd expect things to even out a bit more over the whole season. His last two weeks have been phenomenal with roughly a 1.2 GAA and 88 sv%. He could be starting to find his groove which is dangerous considering the Canadiens are already closing in on the best record in the league. One of the few rookie goalies who are excelling right now, and all of this in a game where goalies can make a much bigger difference than previous years. @JACKIExCHAN (G) Overall: 13-4-0 84.5 sv% 1.86 GAA Vs Playoff Teams: 5-1-0 86.9 sv% 1.49 GAA Vs Non-Playoff Teams: 8-3-0 83.1 sv% 2.12 GAA The Islanders have been a bit of a surprise. They've made a decent number of trades which is almost a hallmark of an @a1xFREAKx13 team. They've mostly been pretty shrewd trades, and that has left them in a playoff spot in a Metro division that has been a dogfight for most of the season. His CHL numbers in S30 were pretty strong for NHL 18 with a 80+ sv% and under 2.5 GAA. His numbers improved in playoffs which is always a good sign. Then, @JACKIExCHAN was drafted sort of late with the 64th overall pick by the Islanders. Maybe another pattern with @a1xFREAKx13 teams. He's slotted in as a backup with around 30% less games than @Bcrippsx31 . His 13 wins are 2nd among rookie goalies with his save percentage and GAA eerily similar to @Charyzen (but a smaller sample size). One good sign is that he's pretty consistent from game to game which is always a plus. Just Missed @detee ef (RW) Overall: 8-1-3 21P 10G 11A +4 Played a few less games than most guys, but is close to a goal per game. Only a couple games against current playoff teams, but so far with the Senators he's slotted in with the @Tb ToXiC and @PureRippin line which should make him a player to watch for the last half of the season. @Chicago Liights (RW) Overall: 10-5-0 34P 10G 24A +15 One of the bright spots so far for Smashville (who is only a couple points out of the playoffs by the way). He's 3rd in the league among rookies with 34 points and leads all rookies in assists with 24. He's been trending in the right direction, too. @UniqueSniperr (RD) Overall: 10-4-1 9P 1G 8A +5 One could make the argument that the only thing that matters is getting the win. Well, @UniqueSniperr has a lot of other reasons to be on this list, but having 10 wins 5 weeks into his rookie season is maybe the most important. No rookie defenseman has more wins with his teammate @l GET BUSY l and @TyLaC tied with him at 10. @StL Blues Fan54 (G) Overall: 7-2-1 84.2 sv% 1.44 GAA Sort of a small sample size for a goalie, but through 10 games @StL Blues Fan54 has recorded some pretty great numbers. He's won 7 of his 10 games with 15 points out of a possible 20. Keep a close eye and see if he can outshine the Flyers defense that's been one of the best d-corps in the league so far this season.
@goonderk snubbed the easy front runner @BENNY x 13 , guy carries on a terribly built team. And I should know, I built it.
My dudes @TyLaC and @Moesof17john definitely deserve to have their dicks rubbed by their doubters. Awesome guys on and off the ice. Great teammates to have! Great job as usual @goonderk
He is not a rookie. Was one last season on PSN. Same way an xbox guy coming to PSN after playing in the NHL isn't a rookie, neither is he
